User:AJona1992/Patsy

Patsy Torres, born Patricia Donita Torres in 1957, is a Tejano music singer. Known for her vocal versatility, she has been referred to as "the princess of Tejano music". Torres began her musical career as a trumpet player for Blue Harmony. At one of their performances at a wedding, the group asked Torres to be their vocalist for the event. The band was discovered by record promoter Albert Esquivel and released their debut album with production handled by Manny Guerra. In 1982, Torres formed the Patsy Torres Band and subsequently signed with Bob Grever's Cara Records. After obtaining a college degree in science, Torres decided to pursue a career as a pediatrician. After indie label Freddie Records expressed interest in signing Torres and after signing a three-year promotional contract with Budwiser, Torres decided to continue her musical career. Her ranchera single "Ya Me Voy de Esta Tierra", an original 1947 mariachi written by her grandfather Dr. William Torres, became the first number-one single of her career. It elevated Torres into a regional successful singer. Torres became the first female Tejano singer to provide audiences with dance routines and costume changes during her concerts, distinguishing her apart from her predecessors Laura Canales, Lisa Lopez, and Elsa Garcia. This led her to win the Tejano Music Award for Female Entertainer of the Year at the 1987 Tejano Music Awards. During this time, Tejano music entered its golden age, and Torres was named by Billboard magazine, as the top female Tejano singer of 1989. Her singles, "Enamorado" and "Amor Con Amor" were listed as one of the most played tracks on Tejano radio stations in the state of Texas.

Torres became an activist after her best friend died of a cocaine overdose in 1989. She began her Positive Force Tour and campaigned in high schools across the United States warning children of the dangers of doing drugs, affiliating with gangs, and teen pregnancy. She also spoke out against prejudices towards AIDS patients and donated her time to stay-in-school campaigns. In 1990, she signed with WEA Latina and became the leading female Tejano country music singer. She was the first female Tejano singer to sing a bilingual song on the The Nashville Network and was named as "one of the most impressive female Tejano artists" of her generation. During the height of Tejano music's popularity in 1994, Torres was considered a pioneer who helped expand Tejano music's prosperity. In 1996, Torres' single "Te Juro" was chosen by the San Antonio Tourist Bureau as a representative of the "sounds of the city." It provided Torres with the Songwriter Award at the BMI Latin Awards. Torres continues her motivational school tours and other charitable causes. She has received a doctorate in education and organizational leadership in 2011 at the University of Incarnate Women. She has been inducted into the Tejano Roots Hall of Fame and the Women's Hall of Fame in San Antonio. Considered one of the instrumental musicians who helped spearheaded Tejano music's golden age, Torres considers her activism with children as one of the best accomplishments of her life.

Early life and career beginnings: 1957—1982
Patricia Donita Torres was born in San Antonio, Texas in 1957 to Wiliado and Patricia Torres. The family lived in a poor barrio of San Antonio. Her parents and grandparents held college degrees and persuaded Torres to focus on her education rather than music. Her only musical influence was her grandfather Dr. William Torres who played several instruments and wrote songs, who provided Torres with a trumpet. Along with her sister who played the saxophone, Torres joined the school's band as their trumpet player. She graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1975 and a year later joined her sister's band, Blue Harmony, as a trumpet player. Her sister influenced her in taking music up as a profession. Torres was also influenced and inspired by Laura Canales, who was instrumental in providing opportunities for women participation in Tejano music. Torres eventually toured with Canales and the two bonded, with Canales jokingly referring to Torres as the "Chicana Madonna" because of her costume designs. Torres joined Blue Harmony with the hopes of raising enough money to attend college and become a pediatrician. During one of their performances at a wedding, the group requested Torres to sing. In attendance was record promoter Albert Esquivel, who signed the band in 1980. The group recorded their first album with production handled by Manny Guerra. The single "Mi Casa Esta Vacia" provided the band with moderate success. In 1982, the group disbanded and Torres formed the Patsy Torres Band.

Music career success: 1983—1991
Torres signed with Bob Grever's Cara Records in San Antonio. The 1984 single "Lowrider"/"Novela" helped establish Torres within the realm of Tejano music. She signed a three-year contract with Budwiser. In 1986, Torres received her college degree in science and planned on quitting music in favor of practicing medicine. After Freddie Records expressed interest in signing Torres to their label, she decided to stay recording music. She released her second album La Nueva Voz (1985), which included the ranchera track "Ya Me Voy de Esta Tierra", a 1947 mariachi written by her grandfather. It provided Torres her first number-one single, becoming a regional success for the band. The group disbanded in December 1985 following "artistic differences", the singer remained touring and was able to reconcile with some of her former members for her new band including Joe Martinez on drums, Rick Ramirez on keyboards, and Brian "Red" Moore on bass guitar. During her concerts, Torres' setlist included the singer's Tejano recordings and covers of hard rock songs. Since the inception of the Tejano Music Awards in 1981, Torres has been nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year and Female Entertainer of the Year. She attended San Antonio's inaugural New Year's Celebration in 1986. She produced her own music video for MTV and VH1, and became the first Tejano artist to film a music video.

Torres utilized the entire stage and provided dance performances during her concerts, the first female Tejano performer to do so. Unlike her predecessors such as Canales, Lisa Lopez, and Elsa Garcia, Torres provided those in attendance with dance routines and costume changes throughout her performance. Torres was influenced by rock musicians Pat Benatar, Heart, and Chrissie Hynde and provided 1980s-style visual aesthetics to her performances. This led her to win Female Entertainer of the Year at the 1987 Tejano Music Awards. During this time, Tejano music entered its golden age, and Torres helped define the era along with Canales, Little Joe y la Familia, Mazz, La Mafia, Emilio Navaira, and Selena. During the genre's golden age, Torres produced only regional hits with her singles. In 1989, Torres' single "Enamorado" was the eighth most-played song in Chicago. Billboard named Torres as the top female Tejano singer of 1989. She was named Female Vocalist of the Year at the first Tejano Vida magazine awards in Austin, Texas in 1989. Torres performed for the Air Force bases in the pacific as part of the Defense Department tour in 1989. She performed in Hawaii, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, and Guam, as part of the Defense Department tour. Her single "Amor Con Amor" was the ninth most-played song on Tejano radio stations in Texas for two consecutive weeks, beginning on the week ending September 26, 1991.

Advocacy and The Positive Force Tour: 1990—1994
Beginning in the early 1990s, Torres became an outspoken supporter of anti-drug abuse and stay-in-school campaigns. After her best friend overdosed on cocaine in 1989, she included in her message to children to be advocates for their friends and encouraged them to act telling them "I rather have an ex-friend than a dead friend." She campaigned in high schools across the United States with her Positive Force Tour. She tells children that her greatest accomplishment was getting a college education during her music career while maintaining her morals. The Positive Force Tour includes mini skits, participation, and dramatized scenarios of where gang membership, violence, teen pregnancy, and abusing drugs can lead children in life. She spoke out against prejudices towards AIDS patients and spoke to students about the dangers of joining gangs. In 1989, she headlined a concert at the Austin Opera House with Little Joe y la Familia that provided books and other school supplies for underprivileged students as part of the Teach the Children campaign. She credits her family values that provided Torres with a "healthy attitude and strong faith" that enabled her to obtain her life goals. She has inspired her fans to continue their education and received gang-affiliated bandanas from those who quit being gang members due to Torres' influence. An entertainment critic called her "not just another female singer" while another in The Waco Citizen called her "perky [and] vivacious". Torres became the first Tejano singer to appear in three different national shows including a television special at SeaWorld, International Star Search, and Nashville Now all in 1990.. That same year, Torres enrolled in University of the Incarnate Word where she took up on a communications arts degree. In 1992, she toured in Germany, Turkey, Italy, Greece, and Spain for a month and a half.

In 1990, she signed with WEA Latina for a three-year contract. Her debut album with them was titled Amor Con Amour Se Paga. By 1991, she was the leading female Tejano country singer. Performed for upwards of 60,000 attendees, Torres is considered "one of the most important Tejano female singers" of her generation. She performed on the Johnny Canales Show in 1991. She also became the first Tejano artist to perform a bilingual country song on The Nashville Network. Torres was featured on Vista magazine's "What's Hot in Texas" for 1991. In 1992, she was named "one of the most impressive female Tejano artists" of her generation. She is considered a "hero" and role model in her hometown of San Antonio during her advocacy. In 1993, she released Con Todo El Corazon, with a mixture of ballads, polkas, and cumbias. Considered a pionner in Tejano music, she helped the "Tejano wave" in 1994 with her "crowd-pleasing concerts."

Tejano music's decline: 1995—2022
Following the shooting death of Selena on March 31, 1995, the Tejano music market suffered and its popularity waned. Radio stations in the United States that played Tejano music switched to regional Mexican music, and by 1997, KQQK was the only radio station playing non-stop Tejano music. The music video for "Te Juro" was released in December 1995 through Balboa Records, the song was chosen by the San Antonio Tourist Bureau as a representative of the "sounds of the city." Torres was awarded as one of BMI's Songwriters at their Latin Awards in 1996. In 1996, Torres signed with indie Joey Records and released Bien Cuidada. Latin Style magazine described her as "the sound of the future" in 1998. She was named the Latin Woman in Action in the Arts by La Prensa de San Antonio and was inducted into the Women's Hall of Fame in San Antonio. In October 200, she became a spokesperson for the campaign "Get a Mammogram, Mi Amiga" sponsored by Sprint Corporation with the backing of the Susan G. Komen Foundation urging Hispanic women to get a mammogram during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In 2001, Torres and her husband Lucero moved to Hill County, Texas in fear of overzealous fans. In 2014, Torres received the Alumna of Distinction for Professional Achievement at the University of Incarnate Women, where she received her doctorates in education and organizational leadership in 2011. She served as an honorary board member for the American Cancer Society, the Latin Girl Scouts of America, and San Antonio College. She also served the American Red Cross as chairperson.

Torres became the first female Tejano singer to have her compositions scored for an orchestra and performed with symphonies. Since 2014, Torres has been awarded the LULAC National Presidential Citation, Texas War on Drugs Leadership Award, the National Tejano Conference Community Award, the TAMACC Women of Distinction Award, and has been inducted into the Tejano Roots Hall of Fame. Torres is credited with connecting the gap between Mexican American cultures and showcasing her Hispanic heritage to thousands of visitors in the San Antonio area. In 2021, Torres was invited to participate in Genyva's collaborative project featuring the women in Tejano music. Genyva decided to release a Latin Christian album with the lead single "[bringing unity amongst women [in Tejano music]." showcasing the unity of the women in the genre.

Personal life
On April 19, 1988, Torres married singer-songwriter, David Lucero. Her single "Te Juro" was written for Lucero in 1994, she wrote the song "to assure him that he was my one and only." In 2014, Lucero was arrested during a prostitution sting conducted by the San Antonio Police Department. Lucero was charged with soliciting an undercover police officer for sex. Torres refused to comment on her husband's arrest when prompted. At the time, Lucero was the events services manager at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Torres is a Catholic and released her Christian-themed album Saved at Last (2012) after a fundraiser for St. Mary's Catholic Church. She has said in an interview that she is proud to be part of "Tejanos for Christ." She believes in strong family values, which she believes strengthens any foundation.

Discography

 * Patsy Torres (1985)
 * Abrazame (1987)
 * El Amor Contigo (1988)
 * Romantica (1990)
 * Amor Con Amor Se Paga (1991)
 * Con Todo El Corazon (1993)
 * Patsy Torres Y Su Grupo (1994)
 * Bien Cuidada (1996)
 * ...Bien Protegida (1997)
 * Trenzas (1999)
 * Positive Force Tour (Live) (2002)
 * Saved at Last (2012)
 * Mi Inspiracion (2013)
 * I've Got that Christmas Spirit (2018)
 * Dame Tu Corazon (2020)